Mothers who planned freebirths that ended in a hospital transfer say they've been "gaslit" or "abandoned" by birth workers and kicked out of group chats meant to support them. The movement is facing increasing criticism for "groupthink" and "extremism".
The thing no one can understand unless they have been pregnant, and been faced with giving birth or have given birth is how terrifying and animal of an experience it is.
Humans these days are used to convenience and ease and predictability… having a baby forces you to confront the chaotic nature and sheer mammalian nature of us.
Women facing birth for the first time, especially in this era where they have little support or experience to draw from, and lives where everything is controlled and understandable, are terrified. They reach out for these communities because they feel insignificant to the doctors and nurses and midwives they meet in the system and they are scared.
It very easy to sit back and scoff at women when you have no idea at all what it’s like. You don’t know. You can’t know, but you aren’t even trying to know.
People without direct experience should be doing more listening and attempting to understand, and less judging.
I’ll scoff at every moron who trusts pseudoscience over medical professionals.